State Rep. Bill MacGregor, who represents West Roxbury and a smidge of Brookline, says he'll send a $5 JP Licks gift card to any young'un in Boston or Brookline who shovels out a hydrant when it's safe to do so after the weekend storm then has a parent take a photo on Instagram, tagged @votebillmacgregor and fills out a form.
A concerned citizen beams up a 311 complaint about the situation at Empire and North Harvard streets in Allston:
The fire hydrant is dead, Jim.
City Councilor Matt O'Malley says he's giving out $5 JP Licks gift certificates to kids in his district who shovel out hydrants. E-mail him before and after pictures (or tweet the photos to him or post to his Facebook page). Sorry, no parents - just kids.
Just in time for snow, Boston has launched its Adopt-a-Hydrant program, in which you promise to shovel out a specific hydrant after a storm, like, say, the ones we're supposed to get tonight and Saturday.
Meanwhile, both Brookline and Cambridge have referral programs to match residents with snow with teens with shovels.
Boston has more than 13,000 fire hydrants, and this winter it's been a struggle to keep them clear for firefighters.
Although the Boston Water and Sewer Commission and the Boston Fire Department are responsible for making sure hydrants actually work, there's no law regulating who has to keep them clear after snowstorms, Boston Fire spokesman Steve MacDonald said.
Courtney Sacco photographed Rene Fielding of the Mayor's Office of Emergency Management helping to clear hydrants in Charlestown today. Troublewithtribbles photographed a road by Mass. General that is still so clogged with snow cars and trucks were parking in the travel lane.
Photos copyright Courtney Sacco and Troublewithtribbles respectively. Posted in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.
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